


Casual Affairs

by Mililap



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies)
Genre: F/F, and idek how to CONTINUE IT so i might as well take long ur being warned, fair warning: this one begins with cheating ay lmfao, idk fam I've had this sitting on my drafts for 4 months now and I might as well publish it, so yeah if u have an issue with it then it'd be wise not to read, uuuhm affairs? maybe? question mark?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 06:45:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17441918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mililap/pseuds/Mililap
Summary: When Helen is faced with truths she does not want to believe, a wild, dormant side of her brain will take action, making her escape reality, taking her into bars, making her talk to interesting figures in the night, giving her things to regret and making her do anything but repent.





	1. Helen Joins The Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Mililap here, again with some food to put on the table. I've had this one waiting for me to work on it for months now and I've decided to put it here and see how y'all take it. Bear in mind: I will NOT work on hevelyn nor elastigale nor whatever until i'm done with something else i'm writing, I'm just posting this because it was already written (I'm posting all that I've written thus far).  
> ALSO: This fic explores what could have happened if Bob had actually been with Mirage. If you have a problem with cheating (I mean, if you have a problem with reading about it. Of course we all dislike cheating bruh lmfao), with Helen being something other than a good mom and wife or with Bob being the bad guy in the story, then DO NOT read this fic. I like to delve into the ugly side of these characters and explore the less explored concepts, such as lying, deceit and blah. There are a lot of other fics out there and I can even recommend some! No problem with the polyamorous way of solving the love triangle issue, it's just that there's so much of that out there that I'd like to investigate this other option.  
> If you do read, hope you have fun! Because that's what this is all about. Writing for fun, reading for fun.

Helen Parr refused to accept the truth.

“You told me  _ nothing  _ had happened, Bob!” The woman shouted at the man she was married to in between her sobs, tears coming out of her eyes at their free will, despite her reluctance to let them do so.

She couldn’t believe it. She  _ did  _ suspect it, but for it to be actually true? She couldn’t believe it.

Oh, but, who was she kidding?  _ Of course  _ she could believe it. It was  _ Mr. Incredible  _ she was talking about, after all.

“Helen, honey,” The blond boulder of a man began his defense, a look of desperation on his face as the traitor looked for a safe haven.

And then he said what he shouldn’t have.

“What was I supposed to do?”

That’s it. She’s had enough.

Helen suddenly stopped crying, tears halting automatically as if she had just turned off a switch.

It terrified Robert, to say the least. “Honey?” He tried asking, fear on his features and his guard up, readable on his demeanor. “Are you okay?”

Helen frowned, though she didn’t look at him; she didn’t want him to be able to see just how  _ not  _ okay she was, specially so after the imbecile asked  _ such  _ a question. “I’m fine.” She answered, an almost robotic, monotone to her voice. Still, there was a flame hiding behind her words, a fire that remained caged inside of her, like a beast desperate for release.

She wanted out. Immediately.

So Helen Parr turned around and picked up her trench coat, fastening it around her tightly.

“Where are you going?” Robert asked her as he saw the auburn haired woman move from their bedroom to the house’s main door.

“Outside.” She answered, underlining her response with the loud  _ bang  _ of the door being closed shut behind her, the reverberating sound making the big, muscular man flinch exaggeratedly.

Helen walked away from the house  —or, better said, stomped her way away from it —without even thinking of glancing back, the anger, frustration, disappointment,  _ betrayal  _ she felt making her feel overwhelmed, all of it becoming this awful noise inside her head, as if there was this big, chaotically messy yarn on her mind and she was desperate to find a thread to pull from, finally dismantling the labyrinth of knots, the seemingly eternal mess.

But she couldn’t find the loose end, she couldn’t find the volume knob to turn it down a notch, so she walked.

And walked. And walked.

She walked around the city aimlessly for God knows how long, her feet slowly becoming numb, the tears on her face dried up due to the cold, gentle, Winter wind that caressed her face.

The noise, the tangle of intrusive thoughts was still inside her head, but she had managed to tune it out, somehow.

Still, whenever Robert Parr came into mind, the noise would start, all over again.

Helen sighed, a defeated look taking over her features as she did so. This was what her life had come to; a stay-at-home mother of three who lived under the shadow of her own husband, her daily routine being reduced to something as trivial as changing diapers, helping Dash with his homework and giving Violet advice regarding boys, dates and being a teenager, basically.

She frowned at her own feet as they continued to shuffle down the street, moving her along with them as they did so. What had happened to Elastigirl, the face of the rebellion, the leader of those who believed in equality, the example to follow for those who would never conform to the norm and live under the shadow of men and their patriarchal society, the living image of free love, of respect, of feminism in itself?

What ever happened to her? Was she  _ gone?  _ Or worse, was she  _ dead? _

Helen closed her eyes as she sighed once more. She was afraid to answer such a question.

She was afraid to open her eyes, to finally wake up and see reality for what it was; no longer was she in those golden days of glory, where the Earth would tremble with every step she took, the looking glasses shattering as she made her way past them, for no one could come face to face with the mighty Elastigirl, for she was a brazen affront to her era’s beliefs, a blatant insult to her time’s status quo, a brutal queen, trapping the enemy’s king in a checkmate.

No, those days were gone. She was no brazen affront anymore, no blatant insult, no brutal queen.

She wasn’t even on the game’s board, now.

As such a realization hit her like a deadly blow to the chest, a puncturing wound aimed at her heart, the sound of warm laughter and playful banter surrounded her momentarily, making her look up and notice the small pub that stood right in front of her, the noise trapped in it reaching her temporarily due to the door opening and closing as more customers made their way in.

She analyzed the small, dimly lit pub right in front of her; Its’ exterior was painted a dark green, which combined perfectly with the wooden door, the irish-like architecture of the windows and the designs that decorated them. The sign above the entrance was old enough its’ contents were unreadable, but it’s not like Helen needed to know the place’s name, for its’ design, the people that entered and the state they were in once they left told her enough about it.

It spurred something inside of her back to life, some kind of defiant imp, which she allowed to rule over her and take control for a moment.

And said energy made her think of Bob, but in such a different light.

Robert, his cocky smile on, looking at her.

Robert, his lips on that silver haired woman’s.

Robert, helping the woman out of her clothes—

_ Enough. _

So, with a scowl on her face and a fire in her soul big enough to burn herself down, Helen allowed that impish force to impulsively make her walk into the bar.

It was such a curious contrast, she thought, the way the bar’s exterior and its’ interior didn’t match at all, but at the same time managed to work together in a perfect harmony, like a deep cello playing along with the highest of violins.

In juxtaposition to the bar’s cold, unalluring exterior, the bar’s main room was as warm and cozy as it could be. The walls were painted with some shade of beige, which encaged the wooden tables scattered all around her, sets of black chairs accompanying them. There was a big, rather busy, mahogany counter, a wonderful piece of art due to the particular design and the craftsmanship that went into it. Glasses moved from one point of it to the other, not a drop spilling from them as they were pushed with a practiced, expert’s ease. There were uncountable taps one right next to the other, a varied offer of beers being promised by them, from various kinds and brands making themselves present at a hand’s reach.

The place was crowded, filled to the brim with chattering  _ women,  _ not a man on sight.

_ Perfect. _

Pushing her way through the sea of limbs and smiles and wandering eyes, Helen made her way towards the counter, which she noted was indeed busy with glasses that slid to several destinations, but no one was really sitting by it, the stools all free and available for her.

All of them, except one at the far end of the right corner.

Helen took a seat three stools away from the other woman, her eyes too busy roaming the structure right in front of her and above her head. Glasses hang from cabinets right above the counter, where several bottles of different kinds of liquor hid.

“Hello, baby.” She heard a female voice say, making her look at the woman right in front of her.

A long haired brunette stared back, a smirk that promised secrecy and laughter already resting over her lips. A partner in crime.

And, of course, since she was the bartender, it also promised toxicity, some alcoholic component flooding her system and rendering her useless.

She was glad.

“Hello.” Helen simply said.

There was a glint in the other woman’s eye. “My name’s Summer and I’ll be your host for tonight.” She said, a playful wink making Helen smirk. “What can I do for you?” She asked, placing an empty glass in front of Helen. “Whiskey? Scotch? Beer, maybe?” She frowned at Helen, narrowing her eyes as she fell into a quick analysis of the other woman. “You strike me as the kind of woman that would enjoy a cocktail or even some wine, though.”

Helen laughed at the woman’s antics. “Thank you, but I’m good for now.” She said, watching as the bartender gave her a bewildered look. “I’d like to ponder my options.” She added, explaining herself, watching as Summer nodded, as if finally understanding, like Helen wasn’t making any sense until just then.

“Alright, alright…?” She said, a silent question hanging between them.

“It’s Helen.” She responded, naturally knowing what the other woman wished to learn.

Summer nodded deeply once more. “Helen! Perfect. Take your time. If you need anything, just holler.” She said, winking once more before leaving for the right end of the counter.

Towards that other woman.

Helen’s eyes had followed Summer on their own accord, the woman having been intriguing enough that she wanted to know a little bit more about her, but then she caught sight of the one who was sitting on the same side of the counter as her.

Unruly, short, brown hair that seemed to have been fashioned into an organized chaos  framed her face, high cheekbones and accentuated features giving her a feline, predatory look, her lips on an apparent downward curve as she talked fast, her deep blue eyes emphasized and brought out by the barely there shade that hid under them, the black eyeliner making them stand out even more, a glorified, lazy air making her eyelids heavy with something that wasn’t entirely exhaustion.

Her eyes moved over the woman’s body, then, checking out her entire frame. Black slacks that hugged her legs nicely, matching Chelsea boots, a white, button down shirt, the first two buttons undone, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Over her legs, a black suit jacket rested idly.

When Helen’s eyes moved towards the other woman’s blue ones once more, she found her staring back, her lazy gaze locking her in place for a brief second.

Helen noticed how that downward curve of her lips, the words that came out from between them suddenly halted, turned into a small hint of a smirk.

Immediately, she looked away.

And thus missed how Summer, who had been listening to the ranting woman with rolling eyes, frowned at the sudden silence, her eyes moving from the brunette to the auburn haired woman.

And a mischievous smirk placed itself on her lips.

Helen’s gaze locked on the glass which stood right in front of her on the counter, intensely, the Super doing her best to ignore the blue eyes that were burning holes into the side of her neck.

She looked up as movement made its’ way into her vision, a rushing Summer bringing a wine glass filled with some transparent liquid.

“Here you go, Helen.” Summer said, pushing the glass into her empty hands, “Chardonnay, courtesy of the lady to your right.”

Helen couldn’t frown at the glass as much as she could blush a bit in surprise. “Who?” She asked with a fake nonchalance.

Summer pointed at the other woman, making Helen look at the short haired brunette once more, the nervous housewife being far too lost in her own head to notice the slight alarm in the blue eyed woman’s eyes.

“Who’s she?” Helen found herself asking, the blurted out question coming out before she could stop it.

She heard Summer chuckle. “Oh, no, baby. No cheating. She bought you a drink, now it’s your turn to return the favor. Go, sit next to her and ask her her name, I’m not giving you a head start.”

Helen raised a brow and looked at the sly bartender, “You helped her just now, why not help me?”

And Summer met her eyes with a stare just as intense when she responded, “Because she’s earned my favor, whereas you haven’t.” She smirked, “Yet. Now go.”

And that impish adrenaline took over her body again, making Helen immediately move, grabbing her glass and walking the three stools of distance towards the other woman, taking a seat next to her while the brunette’s eyes roamed her figure, up and down, studying her, analyzing her, taking and drinking her in.

Helen’s eyes immediately found blue, hooded ones as the other woman brought her glass of whiskey up to her lips, taking a long gulp. “I believe I must thank you for this.” She said, motioning at her own glass as she went to take a small sip.

She saw as the other woman smirked into her glass before setting it down on the counter again. “You could say so.” She responded, her voice low and rough around the edges, though it still allured the auburn haired woman in a way, the woman’s shadowy mystique being only accentuated by the sound of her voice, the tone she used, the way she spoke. “I believe we haven’t been introduced.” She commented coolly.

It made Helen snap out of the sudden trance she had fallen into. “Oh, right.” She said, hyper aware of her own actions and words. “My name’s Helen.” She said, offering the woman her hand.

“Evelyn.” The woman said as she took Helen’s hand in her own and gave it a firm shake, the brunette’s eyes darting briefly to Helen’s left hand. She hadn’t missed the golden alliance around her finger.

So she released the woman’s hand and she took another sip of her drink, if only to hide the dark smirk that rested upon her lips.

“So, tell me, Helen,” She began as she swallowed the hard liquor. “What’s a woman like you doing in a place like this?”

Helen raised a brow. “Why would a woman like me not be in a place like this?” She asked back, instead of answering.

Evelyn noticed her refusal to answer and noted it as the auburn haired woman not wishing to reveal her married nature. She decided she could play along with it. After all, she was up for the game.

So she backpedaled, “Alright, my bad, apologies for that one.”

“No apology is needed.” Helen was quick to say, feeling a blush taking over her face at her own defensive posture. She sighed, then. “Sorry, I just had a rather long day, so I’m a bit jumpy, you could say.”

Evelyn cocked her head to a side as she inspected the woman, reaching the conclusion that this woman had just fled her house after a heated argument with, dare she say, her husband. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Helen.” She let out, tasting the woman’s name on her tongue. “We’re just two strangers in a pub, drinking away their woes. It’s fine.”

Helen mirrored her stance, her head lolling to a side, too, as she asked, “Which woes are you trying to drown?”

Evelyn noticed how she hadn’t denied she was doing the exact same thing, but decided to archive such information for later, deep inside the storage rooms of her mind. “I’m just pissed off. I work at some big name company and I’ve single handedly blown off the deal of the century.”

Helen grimaced, “Ouch.” She let out, hearing Evelyn as she let out a small  _ Yeah,  _ followed by another sip of her whiskey. “Which company do you work for?”

“DevTech.” She let out.

Helen’s brows rose. “ _ DevTech?” _ She repeated in the form of a question, watching as Evelyn nodded. “ _ The  _ DevTech, the global, world class telecommunications company?”

Evelyn continued nodding, “That one, though we are not global, yet. I mean, I  _ did  _ manage to fuck that up, today.”

“How high are you on the company?” Helen heard herself ask.

“I’m the co-CEO.” Evelyn answered just as quick.

And Helen had to hide her surprise behind her glass as she took a long gulp, feeling the dry taste of the white wine around her tongue before letting it go down her throat as she swallowed it down.

“And you, Helen?” Evelyn asked her quickly, trying to get away from the spotlight, “What do you do for a living?”

Helen could feel her cheeks heat up as she ashamedly admitted, “I don’t really work, if I’m honest.”

“Stay-at-home?” Evelyn asked, watching as Helen nodded. “Huh, how curious.” She commented, watching as the auburn haired woman looked at her with a frown on her features.

“What’s curious?”

“You didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who’d stay at home and let somebody else take care of business.” She said, her eyes landing on her own glass, ignoring Helen’s brown ones for a second, so as not to let the other woman read the knowing look in her own as she talked, “You come off more as the kind of person who’d take the bull by the horns, so to speak.”

Helen gave her a lopsided smirk, “Well, you’re not entirely wrong; I used to be that kind of person.”

Evelyn raised a brow, noticing the  _ used to be,  _ the past tense, instead of the present one, the  _ am. _ “Well now, that’s interesting. Are you one to take matters into your own hands?”

“If I want the job to be well done then yes, I am.”

It amused Evelyn, making her chuckle. “You remind me of me, in a way.”

“I get it; you look like the kind of entrepreneur who does not enjoy it when people get too involved with her projects.”

“You got it almost right, except I’m not exactly an entrepreneur.”

Something didn’t add up. “Weren’t you the co-CEO of DevTech?”

Evelyn smirked. “I’m more like the genius behind the entrepreneur, if you will. The other CEO is the one that actually takes care of clients and is the face of the company.” She explained, “Today we both were needed to attend the meeting and, well…” She trailed off on purpose, not wishing to delve into it anymore.

Helen nodded as she paid attention to the woman, “I see. You’re the mastermind, hiding behind the curtains, while your co-CEO takes the stage.”

“We’re more of a team; I take care of the technical part, while he handles the social side of things.” Evelyn said, a rather bored expression on her face as she took another gulp before saying, “But we’ve talked enough about me, for now, don’t you think?”

Helen caught the indirect. “Sorry.”

Evelyn smirked at her, a wink on her eye as she said, “You’re fine, sweetheart. I’ll take your questions as curiosity and, if I may, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Well, it  _ is  _ a compliment.” Helen blurted out, then realized she’d have to back up her words as she explained, “You’re rather interesting.”

Evelyn smirked. “You’re intriguing and it’s hard to intrigue me.”

Helen chuckled, the sound being the immediate consequence of an inner self-deprecating joke as she said, “I wonder what in me has caught your attention, to be honest.”

Evelyn narrowed her eyes though her wolfish expression still remained. “Why wouldn’t you catch my attention?”

Helen looked at her rather flabbergasted, taking her trench coat off because the temperature had risen, suddenly, “What about the stay-at-home wine drinking woman cliche is interesting for you? Please, justify your answer.” She said, her final phrase being added in a playful, teacher-like tone.

Evelyn laughed, the sound deep and rich, coming from deep inside her chest. “I’ve got an eye for detail, Helen. It’s not the cliche that raptures me, but the dissonances between it and the rest of you that I’ve found in this short set of time we’ve spent together.” Her finger circled the rim of her own glass, a cocky expression on her face, “I find a certain beauty to the falling out of rhythm, the getting out of line, the mistakes in the matrix, the crashing of juxtapositions and harsh contrasts. I’ve found thousands upon thousands of all of those in you just now.”

Helen could only stare at Evelyn’s roaming finger as it kept circling the glass, feeling as if she had just been stripped of all of her clothes, her defenses, her armor, laying naked, bared right in front of those cold, calculating eyes, dissected, taken apart, piece by piece, only to be carefully placed back together, not before being studied, particle by particle.

She took a deep breath and a long gulp.

“You’re an observer.”

Evelyn nodded. “I’m a logical person who likes to take in her surroundings and those who surround her.”

“That must be a really tiring way of living.”

Evelyn hadn’t expected her to go that way. She raised a brow, “How so?”

Helen nodded her head a bit, “Always watching, carefully planning… Never actually engaging or letting yourself feel things. That’s the way you go through life, isn’t it, Evelyn?” She asked her, gaze intensely on Evelyn’s eyes, the addition of her name to the end of the question having been nothing but an attempt at taunting an answer out of the cryptic woman.

Evelyn stared right back, parted lips and a caught breath. The nerve of the woman, to call her out like that.

She liked it.

“And there it is again, the dissonance, a new color in your spectrum.” She said with a contempt smile as she picked up her glass and brought it to her lips.

Helen’s eyes followed the movement. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“I’m merely pointing out that I’m right and there’s more to you than you’re letting me see.” Evelyn said, taking a sip from her drink.

“Clearly, you can see it anyway.”

And Evelyn then had to keep herself from chuckling when, as a drop of whiskey tried to make its’ way down the wrong side of the glass, she licked it up, watching as a small, hushed sound of surprise escaped Helen’s lips. “I can see a bit, trying to come out of the cage you’ve placed it in. Clearly, you happen to have a watchful eye just as honed as mine, if you were able to see through me like that, quickly picking up my attitude towards life.”

She kept watching Evelyn’s lips. “I don’t think that’s your attitude towards life, but just the way you present yourself to others.”

“And what do you think I see life as, then?” Evelyn asked, her finger once more on her glass’ rim.

“You see it as a playground.” Helen immediately said, making Evelyn raise a brow.

“Justify thine answer, if thou would kindly so.” Evelyn responded, teasing the woman for her attitude from before.

Helen would have laughed at it, but she was too occupied with her need to prove the woman her point, and thus, herself to her. “I believe we’re all in this big, seemingly endless game for you and it’s all about unsolving the mysteries other people present, before you come face to face with your own fate, which is finding them all boring, not at all up to your expectatives, before leaving them behind and moving on to the next new, big thing.”

She had hit the nail on the head.

“My fate’s to be alone, then? Never entertained, never satisfied?” Evelyn asked, dipping her finger in her whiskey, doing it only to see for how long would Helen’s eyes follow her digit’s movements.

Helen tried to make sense of Evelyn’s antics as she watched her swirl her drink with her index, “Yes.”

“And what’s fate, Helen?” Evelyn asked her, taking her finger out of the glass and bringing it close to her face, watching as a drop of liquid moved around her finger, the woman pivoting it this and that way so as to watch it travel over her skin. “What do you consider fate to be?”

Helen thought hard about her answer as she followed not the drop’s movements, but Evelyn’s. She watched that finger rotate, get inclined, move, then—

“Fate’s your destiny, what will happen to you, no matter what you do, for you actually have no say on it.” She immediately blurted out, trying to get her mind occupied with  _ anything but  _ the woman right in front of her, for she had just brought that finger into her mouth, sucking hard on it.

Evelyn took her sweet time bringing her finger out from between her lips, giving her index a long, final lick before letting it rest idly to her side as her hand moved back near the glass once more. “Fate’s a presetted thing for you.”

“Yes.” Helen said, swallowing hard right before she took her glass and gulped down the rest of its’ contents.

It was a curious order of actions in the eyes of the genius, the evidence that something inside the other woman’s head had just short-circuited.

“Well, that’s a rather sad approach to the topic of fate, don’t you think?”

Helen’s head lolled to a side as she thought of the woman’s question. “Maybe so.” Then, “Do you have a better alternative?”

“I do, actually.”

“Please, share with the class.” Helen said, picking up what seemed to have become their little joke.

Evelyn chuckled. “I believe fate isn’t a predestined thing, but the result of an equation, instead.”

“ _ Of course  _ it would be an equation, with you.” Helen let out with a tint of playfulness on her voice, as if Evelyn and her had been lifelong friends, instead of two strangers who happened to have met in a bar, mere moments ago.

Evelyn raised her hands in surrender, “Can you blame me?”

Helen shrugged, “Guess I can’t.”

So Evelyn shook her head, hiding a smile as she did so, before relaxing once more, “I believe fate is just the product of free time and the will to do something.” She smiled at Helen before adding, “Should I give the justification of such an answer to the class, Professor?”

Helen raised a brow, trying but failing to hide how she bit her lip as she nodded and allowed for Evelyn to continue.

“Fate is nothing but what we make of it, the construction being taken care of by the time we put to it and the will we have to do something about it. If we’re not free, if we lack choice, if there’s no will from us to get into action and start moving, then our fate is determined by that which has us trapped.” She said, a certain depth to her eyes, an intensity hiding behind ever expanding pupils. “If I’m chained to a nine to five job, then it’s my fate to go to work and stay there until my shift is over, no matter what. Now, if I have the will to defy that, if I have the desire to break the schema and I actually follow through with it, then I’ve just altered my own fate, by forcing myself into being fired. Now, with all of this new free time and with this newfound desire to explore the thousands upon thousands of alternatives and possibilities this plane of existence has to offer, what  _ is _ fate, exactly, but me choosing a path to follow, only to have me ditch it at some point, if I feel like it? What  _ is _ fate but the simple outcome of my own decisions? The end result of how I invest my time, using my will to mold it into something new and unique.” She finished, bringing her glass to her lips and downing it all, letting out a sigh of pleasure.

She looked at Helen, who simply stared back with slightly wide eyes, slightly parted lips and a look of awe, the auburn haired woman having been stunned into silence by the philosophical ramble that came out of the genius’ mouth.

Helen found herself attracted to the deep sea of a woman right in front of her, not only due to her ridiculously good looks, but mostly because of that brain of hers, the person that hid beneath layers and layers of appearances, the thinly veiled seduction, the desire to discuss philosophy and other subjects of knowledge that emanated from her, the wish to leave her actual area of expertise —machinery, apparently —to a side, forgotten under the light of a more important matter, like it was fate, in this case.

She wanted to sneak her way into that woman’s mind and see it all with her own eyes.

“What’s the matter, Helen?” Evelyn asked her after a long silence from her side of the conversation. “Cat got your tongue?” She teased, a raised brow in question.

“You’ve just taken me in quite an interesting ride just now, Evelyn.” She responded automatically, as if the answer had been there, resting on the tip of her tongue all along, waiting for her companion to ask her to spill it.

Evelyn’s upper lip went high enough on one side that her teeth became visible, that side’s fang being exposed. “And will you be taking me on a ride anytime soon?”

Helen felt tempted to sway the conversation onto a more banal topic, a rather physical one, deep conversations be damned as she indulged in her own carnal desires and discussed lust with this woman, in hopes of—

In hopes of  _ what,  _ exactly?

She closed her eyes and allowed herself a breather, a time out from this woman as she recollected her thoughts and thus turned the direction of their conversation back to its’ original topic, deciding to play the clever woman’s game rather than letting her push her into the easy answer, like a stubborn captain, struggling but still steering her ship’s rudder back to course, fighting against a relentless storm that pushed her port, despite her wishes to go starboard.

“Oh, if I may, I’ll take you on a journey.”

Evelyn waited to see where she was going to with that. “Of what kind?” She gently prodded.

It was an invitation to prove herself just as clever as the woman right in front of her.

So Helen reopened her eyes and stared back with as much practiced comfort as the other woman, “I’ll take you on a Jungian journey into the collective unconscious and we’ll talk about the primal self and how it gets repressed by the modern persona. While we’re at it, we could also discuss the depths of the psyche and the dungeon-like isolation of our society, which grows mechanistic by the  _ second,  _ and prevents us all from finding satisfying work and, or, meaningful connections with others.”

And now it was Evelyn’s turn to stare in awe.

Neither of them had noticed Summer who, at some point, approached them and re-filled their glasses with their respective drinks. Still, Helen was grateful for it as she picked up hers and did a bottoms up, downing it all in one go before adding a ferocious, “And before you ask; your place, not mine.” Out of a rash impulse, already feeling the guilt that gripped her heart, the fear in her arteries—

Evelyn licked her lips, a demon making her play with the other woman’s mind as she asked, “Oh, sweetheart, what makes you think I was even going to suggest that?”

And the offense Helen felt at the challenging tone, the subtext hiding behind Evelyn’s words, implying she had jumped into the wrong conclusion, reading all of the wrong signs, was enough to make her forget she was angry, guilty, sad about something.

“You wouldn’t be fooling me nor anyone if you tried to tell me you came here  _ just  _ for a drink.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you; I  _ may  _ have come here for some of that, but I  _ do _ come regularly and  _ just _ drink.”

And Helen then smirked, because she caught the brunette where she wanted her. “So, what should I think of your  _ friend  _ giving me a free drink and claiming it was your doing?”

Evelyn raised her brows in real surprise, having not expected the other woman to discover the truth that the whole  _ the-drink’s-on-her  _ fiasco had been of Summer’s doing and Summer’s doing alone, the short haired brunette having nothing to do with it.

The smile she put on display for Helen was nothing short of predatory.

“Touché.”

Helen smiled triumphantly.

“Still, I’m not taking you with me.”

The smile vanished as quickly as it came.

“Excuse me?” Helen asked, feeling her refusal to let her spend the night like a stab on the back.

Evelyn laughed as she stood up, putting her jacket on. “I’ve got  _ very  _ important things to tackle tomorrow morning, Helen.” She said as she took out two twenty dollar bills and placed them on the counter, whistling at Summer so as to make her see in her direction. “And I bet you’ve got some important matters to attend to, too.”

Helen blushed at the implications behind Evelyn’s words. “You don’t know that.”

Evelyn smirked. “No, but I do know that, in my case, it’s true.” She said, watching Summer out of the corner of her eye as the long haired brunette approached. “Anyways, you now know where to find me and  _ who  _ to ask, were I not to be found around here.”

Helen stood up, throwing her own coat on, even if she was hot enough she didn’t want it anywhere near her. “You’re going to leave just like that?”

And suddenly Evelyn was all over her personal space as she approached her with a quick step forwards and let out a low, smooth, “I’m letting you decide whether this meeting was a mere accident, a coincidental mistake, or if it was something else entirely.”

“Like what?” Helen blurted out her question quickly, her eyes briefly darting over to Evelyn’s lips before coming back to her eyes.

Evelyn saw that, so she smirked wolfishly as she said, “Fate.”

Helen watched with jagged breath as Evelyn seemed to levitate even closer, before moving away, turning around and slowly moving towards the door.

“See you soon or see you never, Helen.”

And then, just like that, she was gone.

Helen’s eyes were anchored to the door through which Evelyn had just left, a certain trance taking over her, until Summer, who was sitting behind her, cleared her throat loudly, making her snap out of it and turn to look at her, a blush dusting her cheeks.

“What?” She asked, suddenly feeling defensive.

Summer snickered, amusement hiding behind her shining eyes as she said, “I’m guessing now you know a little bit about Evelyn?”

Helen nodded, “I know she’s a regular around here, evidently.”

Summer nodded slowly, too. “She is. Hopefully, though, you’ll want to know more about her than what you learned today.”

Helen frowned. “Why do you even care?” She suddenly heard herself asking rudely, the need to protect herself being stronger than her manners.

Summer simply chuckled, mirth still making her eyes vibrant. “Because it’s fun to watch you two feud. You two have needs that the other seems to satisfy easily.”

Helen blushed profoundly, mostly because her mind immediately conjured up a thought about those needs being nothing but physical, her brain creating very realistic images of herself, naked, in a bed with—

“I should go.” She quickly rushed out of her mouth as she moved towards the door, trying to keep the  _ new  _ intrusive thoughts out and away.

Summer watched her leave with a knowing smile, mischief making her pupils lock onto the closing door as the auburn haired woman left, going back home to the family she had temporarily left behind, the blond boulder of a man who had made her run away in the first place.

The one man she called  _ husband,  _ who she hadn’t thought about all night long, after entering Summer’s bar.

Maybe she should thank Evelyn for that.

She would have to go back to that pub, then, if only to thank her.

Back to their chatter and their barely disguised flirting, suggestions, invitations, promises and secrecies.

Back to Evelyn.


	2. Round Two

She got back home past midnight, finding Robert passed out on the couch. Apparently, he had been waiting for her, probably to talk about what had happened between them.

Helen sneered at the sleeping man before going to their bedroom and getting ready for bed. Still, she hadn’t fallen asleep immediately, her mind plagued with thoughts of that night, of that woman at the bar.

She didn’t know what to make of it, what to even think about it; She went into that bar, ready to get her mind off Robert with innocent chatter and nothing else, yet…

Yet she had been ready to leave with that woman, get into her bed, let her take over her body and return the favor with just as much pleasure, thoughts of her husband and even her family being left behind, as if they weren’t there, as if they didn’t exist, mostly because, during the time she had shared with Evelyn, they weren’t real, being only figments of her imagination, constructions her brain had created to stop her from doing anything stupid.

...But then again, her mind hadn’t stopped her. Evelyn had.

And she felt bad about it. Not about what she had wanted to do and was willing to go through with, but about the fact that the brunette had actually frustrated her plans.

She sighed, frowning at the ceiling. There was no guilt, no regret, no sadness. Only shame, for actually lacking any of those feelings.

She felt dirty.

The fact that she still wanted Evelyn made her feel dirtier.

She sighed once more, knowing very well that no amount of showering, scrubbing, cleaning would make her feel any better.

Only satisfying her craving would.

But she couldn’t do that. Sure, she had an itch that she wanted to scratch, but she couldn’t give into such a desire, for it meant ruining her family.

But, then again, what did it all mean for _her?_

Ever since marrying Robert, her life had been minimized to that; her family. Everything she did, she did for Robert, Violet, Dashiel, Jack-Jack. For _them,_ not her. Staying at home, helping her children with their problems, whether they were boy issues or math homework, changing her baby’s diapers, always taking care of any problem that might arise, even finding the time to fix dinner for them, her brute of a husband included…

She was always living for them, not living for herself anymore.

Evelyn represented the first time she actually wished for something, the first time she had been selfish ever since letting go of her individuality and independence, egoistic enough to want something for her and nobody else.

So, in the end, what did it mean, to keep up the family act, only to give herself a miserable life?

Was it even worth it?

And then it dawned on her that she was actually considering going back to that bar, nevermind the warning the DevTech co-CEO had given her.

She smacked herself on the forehead, closing her eyes and sighing through her nose. What the _Hell_ was she thinking?

But then again, what the _Hell_ had she been doing with her life, all this time?

The silence was deafening. The noise inside her head, just as bad.

She’d let it settle, let the matter decant, see if she was still interested after a day or two.

And if she was… She guessed she’d have to follow her instincts.

After all, she still was Elastigirl, no matter what anyone else thought.

And Elastigirl always followed her gut.

* * *

 

Three days had passed since her encounter with the brunette.

Summer wasn’t surprised to see her come back.

Evelyn was, though.

Helen had entered through the door, a deep red shirt on, black pants covering her legs, matching boots and a bourdeaux jacket.

Her eyes landed on Evelyn as soon as she walked into the bar.

Evelyn’s eyes were already fixed on her, following her figure as she moved towards her, aiming for the stool next to the woman.

Evelyn chuckled, shaking her head, as Helen took a seat. “You _do_ realize this is a _very_ bad idea, right?”

“Why do you say so?” Helen asked back, her eyes barely registering Summer as she laid a glass of wine right next to her on the counter, the Super taking it between her fingers and bringing it to her mouth, giving it a taste, licking her lips afterwards.

“How blind do you think I am, Helen?” Evelyn asked her, a sly smirk on her lips as she narrowed her eyes and hunched forwards, making the other woman raise a brow.

“I believe you have a good vision, I guess.”

“Then?” She asked once more, her eyes darting briefly towards her left hand, letting Helen notice it.

The woman swallowed her own saliva before saying, “Do you even care?”

Evelyn hid her smirk behind her glass.

Helen picked up her own, “That I thought.” She said, before taking another gulp from her own drink, a satisfied look on her face.

Evelyn set her drink down first. “So, you’re taking me on that Jungian journey, after all?”

Helen laughed. “Might as well.”

* * *

 

“You _lied.”_

Helen chuckled, her tongue getting twisted as she stuttered, her mind rushing to get her thoughts in order. “No, listen—“

“You know absolutely _nothing_ about Jung.”

Helen tried to hide her embarrassed smile. “I can explain—“

“I’m positive you know _nothing_ about psychology at all!”

“Okay, _fine.”_ Helen said as she finally laughed out loud. “You got me, genius. I know nothing about that topic, whatever.”

Evelyn’s smirk looked wild on her face. “Then where the Hell did you get those big words from and _why_ did you talk such a big game if you couldn’t keep it up?”

Helen raised a finger, “Ey,” She started, emphasizing her playful defensiveness. “I _tried_ to learn some of it but that stage of my life was very short lived.”

Evelyn raised a brow. “Okay. That doesn’t answer my second question, though.”

“I was getting there,” A tipsy Helen answered with a bewildered look on her face, as if offended that the woman was pushing her, though mischief shone in her brown eyes. “I wanted to play along but I didn’t want to give you the easy, obvious answer to your question, that day.”

Evelyn frowned. “What had I asked?” She inquired, for she genuinely couldn’t recall.

“You asked if I was going to take you on a journey and of which kind.”

 _Oh._ “And which would have been the easy answer?”

“That I’d give you a Hell of a ride on my face.”

Helen stared intently into wide, blue eyes.

Then, Evelyn’s bewildered look vanished as she hollered with laughter, tears forming in her eyes.

It was contagious, Helen decided, as she too began laughing, though not as wildly.

“Wow, okay!” Evelyn began as she slowly calmed down. “You’re right, _that_ would’ve been the easy way out of our conversation.”

“Where would that answer have taken me to?”

Evelyn snorted at such a question. “ _Not_ into my bed, that much I can tell you.”

Helen smiled, her eyes closing as she did so, for there seemed to be no room on her face for the woman to keep both her smile and her eyes open at the same time. “I had to try, at least.”

“What’s with you and trying to get into my pants, anyway?” Evelyn started, a teasing look in her eye as she added, “Hubbie ain’t good at the job?”

And she studied Helen as her smile vanished and her eyes reappeared, a certain sadness to her look, not regretting her words, actually happy to having said them, for they let her see into the housewife in front of her.

“Hubbie ain’t good at being a hubbie.”

Evelyn’s head lolled to a side. “Is this the woe we came to drink away in the first place?” She asked, recalling her initial words from their previous encounter. She saw Helen nod, her eyes not meeting her own. “I see.” Was all she could add.

Silence took over. Such a stark contrast to how loud they’d been just mere moments ago.

There was a small portion of Evelyn’s brain that could measure just how intoxicated she was at any given moment and, after running its’ tests on the inventor’s brain, the analysis gave a dangerous result of _Very Intoxicated,_ leaving the woman in a state of mind that allowed for the worst monsters hidden inside her mind to come out through her mouth. Sure, she always had them with her, their unhelpful opinions being whispered inside her mind, but for them to come out…

It was a very rare occurrence that couldn’t really happen with anyone. Not everyone knew how to handle them.

But she was drunk.

They were loud.

And she lacked any capability to keep them at bay, at the moment.

So she opened her big mouth, “That’s your own fault, if you ask me.”

Helen’s sad demeanor suddenly turned into something else, the woman feeling completely offended by such a statement. She wanted to ask why she said that, but instead, an animalistic part of her taking over, forcing her to fight back, she responded, “I never asked you.”

And it was absurd, really, for Evelyn appeared to have heard her ask for an explanation instead of hearing the clear bark back, as she added, “Really, troglodytes only land pretty girls because pretty girls put themselves on the level of troglodytes. It’s _your_ fault that you’re trapped in a lousy marriage, probably with, what?” She asked, pouting as she thought, “Two? Three kids?” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t care. What I’m trying to say is that you can’t blame him for being smart and keeping you. If anything, you should be blaming yourself for being—”

She never finished the sentence, for Helen made her swallow her words as her palm connected with Evelyn’s cheek, the older woman slapping the life out of the inventor.

“Fuck you.”

The whole bar went quiet.

It all took Evelyn by surprise. “Excuse me?” She asked, completely offended at Helen’s behavior, her hand going slowly for her own cheek, which was already turning red.

An _angry_ Helen stared back, all of a sudden. “Fuck you.” She practically spitted, fire in her eyes. “I was having fun just now and here you come with your clever mouth and your stupid questions and ruin it for me. Fuck you.”

Evelyn had not expected such a turn of tides. “What the Hell is wrong with you?”

“ _You_ are wrong with me.” Helen said, suddenly standing up and quickly picking up her stuff. “Go to Hell.”

And then Evelyn stared after her retreating figure until Helen abandoned the bar in just a matter of seconds.

Slowly, the bar returned to a certain normality.

Evelyn shuffled on her seat a bit, watching her glass with a deep scowl as Summer approached her and filled it up.

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” Evelyn muttered loud enough for only Summer to hear.

The bartender shrugged, shaking her head. “Everyone who comes in here has something wrong with them, Evie, that’s the only thing I know.”

“She’s a fucking psycho.” Evelyn stated, taking a quick swig.

She ignored Summer’s unamused look. “No, Deavor, _you’re_ the psycho. She was just reacting to your antics.” The bartender said, making Evelyn glare at her, which prompted the woman behind the counter to glare back. “Look at me like that and I’m kicking you the fuck out, dumbass.”

It tamed Evelyn enough that she want back to her usual, brooding posture.

Summer smirked. “That’s better.”

Then they heard the main door being opened again, both Summer and Evelyn staring at Helen as she made her way back in quick steps.

“I forgot something.” She hurried to say, before picking up her glass and pouring the contents down on Evelyn’s head, making the inventor flinch as she gasped, letting the liquid run down her body, while the bartender tried not to laugh. Then, as quickly as she came, Helen left, this time not coming back.

Evelyn slowly turned, looking at Summer, who was stifling her laughter so as not to offend her best client, when the long haired brunette suddenly said, “That reminds me; she didn’t pay for her drinks, so… How do you want to do this, Evie? Cash or debit?”

Biting her lip hard enough that she might go through it, Evelyn took out her wallet. “Fucking debit.”


End file.
